Bamboo has long been used in Macao’s construction industry, primarily as scaffolding. But as this eco-friendly material gradually gets replaced by steel, there are people fighting for its inclusion in a wider range of building activities.
Ching Kei is a Cantonese restaurant in Macao’s old town that’s barely changed since the 1960s. It’s earned its place in the government’s Distinctive Shops Programme – proof, in a way, of the role it plays in maintaining the city’s heritage.
As president of the Macau European Chamber of Commerce, Rui Pedro Cunha is a busy man. He also fits in a day job, philanthropy work and salsa dancing.
Macao’s tech training centre has partnered with two industry giants – Huawei and Alibaba Cloud – to upskill its local technology professionals. The programmes are being hailed as an important step towards becoming a ‘smart city’.
The FISU World University Games are a chance for Macao’s young sportsmen and women to show their stuff internationally. This year, in Chengdu, they performed especially well in wushu events – earning seven medals in total.
For almost two decades, the Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association has been convincing visitors that there’s more to this city than integrated resorts. The group also reminds locals that what is here is precious.
In a city once famed for its handcrafted wooden ships, the Lai Chi Vun shipyards are testament to a bygone era. After years of decay, they’ve been brought back to life as a living museum.
From simple Chinese fishing vessels to the grand galleons sailed by Portuguese traders, Macao’s waters once brimmed with boats. Now, the best place to see them is inside the city’s ship-shaped museum.
Ben Rongen was there when a crew of marine archeologists recovered a massive haul of 17th-century ‘kraak ware’ from the bottom of the South China Sea. He’s been upcycling this imperfect treasure ever since – crafting jewellery out of shipwrecked ceramics.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area had an earlier iteration, ‘the Great Bay of Canton’ – mapped out by 18th-century cartographers and described by dictionaries of world geography and trade. Macao was its commercial heart and gateway to the world.